Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - Korea, South (2003)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z Korea, South (2003)

	British Virgin Islands (2002)	Korea, South (2003)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-gwangyoksi, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi, Soul-t'ukpyolsi, Taegu-gwangyoksi, Taejon-gwangyoksi, Ulsan-gwangyoksi*
Age structure	0-14 years: 22.4% (male 2,401; female 2,351) 15-64 years: 72.7% (male 7,962; female 7,509) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 565; female 484) (2002 est.)	0-14 years: 20.6% (male 5,256,451; female 4,703,853) 15-64 years: 71.5% (male 17,527,407; female 16,991,229) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 1,512,157; female 2,297,940) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish
Airports	3 (2001)	102 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)	total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 21 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)	total: 33 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 31 (2002)
Area	total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada	total: 98,480 sq km land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly larger than Indiana
Background	First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.	After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north. During the Korean War (1950-1953), US and other UN forces intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the Peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 20 times the level of North Korea. South Korea has maintained its commitment to democratize its political processes. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Chong-il.
Birth rate	15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	12.6 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)	revenues: $118.1 billion expenditures: $95.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $22.6 billion (2000)
Capital	Road Town	Seoul
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Coastline	80 km	2,413 km
Constitution	1 June 1977	17 July 1948
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	conventional long form: Republic of Korea conventional short form: South Korea local long form: Taehan-min'guk local short form: none note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to their country abbreviation: ROK
Currency	US dollar (USD)	South Korean won (KRW)
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	6.03 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	$135.2 billion (yearend 2002 est.)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. HUBBARD embassy: 82 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-5550 telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114 FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador HAN Sung-chu (HAN Sung-joo) chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): New York, Tamuning (Guam)
Disputes - international	none	Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) are disputed with Japan
Economic aid - donor	-	ODA $200 million
Economic aid - recipient	NA	-
Economy - overview	The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959.	As one of the Four Tigers of East Asia, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Three decades ago GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is 18 times North Korea's and equal to the lesser economies of the European Union. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by a system of close government/business ties, including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. Growth plunged to a negative 6.6% in 1998, then strongly recovered to 10.8% in 1999 and 9.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 6.2%, despite anemic global growth, followed by moderate 2.8% growth in 2003. In 2003 the six-day work week was reduced to five days.
Electricity - consumption	39.1 million kWh (1999)	270.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (1999)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (1999)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	42 million kWh (1999)	290.7 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)	fossil fuel: 62.4% hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 36.6% other: 0.2% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)	air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed	homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	South Korean won per US dollar - 1,251.09 (2002), 1,290.99 (2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999), 1,401.44 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor	chief of state: President NO Mu-hyun (ROH Moo-hyun) (since 25 February 2003) head of government: Prime Minister KO Kun (KOH Kun) (since 27 February 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Chin-p'yo (KIM Jin-pyo) (since 27 February 2003) and YUN Tok-hong (since 6 March 2003) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation election results: results of the 19 December 2002 election - NO Muh-hyun elected president, took office 25 February 2003; percent of vote - NO Muh-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; YI Hoe-ch'ang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5%
Exports	$6.2 million	804,700 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	electronic products, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, steel, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	US 20.4%, China 14.7%, Japan 9.4%, Hong Kong 6.3% (2002)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)	white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
GDP	purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $941.5 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 2% industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 4.4% industry: 41.6% services: 54% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $19,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4.4% (2000 est.)	6.3% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	37 00 N, 127 30 E
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	strategic location on Korea Strait
Heliports	-	204 (2002)
Highways	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)	total: 86,990 km paved: 64,808 km (including 1,996 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,182 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 24.8% (1998 est.)
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center	-
Imports	$230 million (2000 est.)	2.965 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	Japan 19.6%, US 15.2%, China 11.4%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2002)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate	4% (1985)	6.5% (2002 est.)
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Infant mortality rate	19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	total: 7.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.3% (2000)	2.8% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)	AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	16 (2000)	11 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	11,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction	Supreme Court (justices are appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly)
Labor force	4,911 (1980)	22 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	services 69%, industry 21.5%, agriculture 9.5% (2001)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.)	arable land: 17.44% permanent crops: 2.05% other: 80.51% (1998 est.)
Languages	English (official)	Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school
Legal system	English law	combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5	unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (273 seats total - 227 elected by direct, popular vote; members serve four-year terms); note - beginning in 2004, all members will be directly elected; possible redistricting before 2004 may affect the number of seats in the National Assembly elections: last held 13 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - GNP 133, MDP 115, ULD 17, other 8; note - the distribution of seats as of April 2003 was: GNP 153, MDP 101, ULD 11, DPP 1, PPR 1, independents 5; one seat vacant
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.85 years male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.)	total population: 75.36 years male: 71.73 years female: 79.32 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.1% male: 99.3% female: 97% (2003 est.)
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Asia
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: not specified exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the Korea Strait
Merchant marine	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.)	total: 541 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,490,521 GRT/10,602,751 DWT ships by type: bulk 114, cargo 174, chemical tanker 63, combination bulk 9, container 52, liquefied gas 17, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 69, refrigerated cargo 21, roll on/roll off 6, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 5 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bulgaria 1, China 1, Greece 1, Japan 1, Malaysia 1, Norway 1, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, UK 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
Military branches	-	Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$13,094.3 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	2.8% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 14,252,851 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 8,994,941 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 345,331 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July	Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
Natural resources	NEGL	coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
Net migration rate	10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]	Democratic People's Party or DPP [leader NA]; Grand National Party or GNP [CH'OE Pyong-ryol, chairman]; Millennium Democratic Party or MDP [CHO Sun-hyong, chairman]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM Chong-p'il, president]; Uri Party [KIM Kun-t'ae, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Federation of Student Associations
Population	21,272 (July 2002 est.)	48,289,037 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	4% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	2.16% (2002 est.)	0.66% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Road Town	Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 104, FM 136, shortwave 5 (2001)
Radios	9,000 (1997)	-
Railways	0 km	total: 3,125 km standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2002)
Religions	Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)	Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist, Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	20 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda	general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: NA international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; the Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use	10,000 (1996)	24 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	28 million (September 2000)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)	121 (plus 850 repeater stations and the eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1999)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)	1.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	3% (1995)	3.1% (2002 est.)
Waterways	none	1,609 km note: restricted to small native craft

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